Peabody Centennial Parade 'Came Together Perfectly'

A little rain didn't stop Peabody from marching on Sunday: The Peabody Centennial Parade drew crowds that packed the sidewalk "several people deep" on the route from Foster to Lowell Street.

"Everything went beautifully," said Martha Holden, parade organizer and Peabody Institute Library director on Monday. "We had a great day, people really came out in full force."

"It was like a magical day where everything just came together perfectly," said Mayor Ted Bettencourt.

Holden said she didn't have an exact estimate for how many onlookers flocked to the parade route, but those participating in the parade said the sidelines were packed "several people deep" consistently. The parade expected thousands of people to turn out to watch the procession of dozens of floats and 30 marching bands.
Holden said the 200-plus volunteers behind the scenes made the parade possible.

"The weather held out, the volunteers were phenomenal, the participants were enthusiastic and fun, and we had a receptive audience. The whole day was great," she said.

Peabody Police Chief Tom Griffin said the police department had several plans in place for traffic, parking, and crowd control, but the day went smoothly. Griffin reports there were no arrests.

Check out Peabody Access TV's footage of the parade below:

Were you at the Centennial celebration? Send your parade photos and videos to us at taylor.rapalyea@patch.com!

Photos courtesy of Cheryl Holbert Millard